From the last of the summer blooms to the changing of the leaves… Fall is Here! The Fall season brings apple and pumpkin season, gentle breezes and the solitary tune of the wind chimes. Fall hints at cooler temperatures, the changing of the sun cycle bringing less daylight creating a colorful change in nature through leaves turning and falling, crunching under foot. The vibrant colors that light the morning and evening skies… Autumn has arrived. As we head into the holiday season, here’s to celebrating Fall ONE last time.
Apples are in Season! Time for pumpkins!!
October Skies… Simply Amazing
Changing of the Leaves
Leafy Carpet Blown Away The Vibrancy of Fall Light filtering throughMajestic Colors Stumped Look Up and Enjoy the ViewA Sneak Peak of Fall In Full ColorAutumn’s Glory Fall Magic The Glory Days of Autumn Finding the Colors of Fall A Walk in the Woods Jethro is enjoying the Leaves everywhereWhere the Leaves Meet the Water Peaceful Retreat Fall Making a Splash Fall SerenityRainy Autumn Days Plentiful Acorns Abundance of Berries A Quiet Place
Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy another beautiful Fall season! 🍂🍁 Thank you for reading and sharing.
It is so hard to believe that the Summer of 2025 is coming to an end soon! This blog post is devoted to my photography favorites from this Summer as a reminder of some of my treasured moments. I hope that you will enjoy these photos that I have complied as the Best of Summer in photographic form… a “love story” of Summer.
Life is Always Better In The Garden…
First Blooms of Summer Bursting Open Searching for the Sun Flower Tower Power!!! “Heavy Metal” ProjectThe garden tableDaisy ShowButterfly 🦋 Moment Double Butterflies 🦋
Summer Snapshots…
Blue Skies AheadSummer Hay Season Storm Clouds Rolling Darkened Storm SkyGood Day Sunshine! Sleepy Sunrise Summertime Color ShowSummer Morning Hues Clementine SkiesFresh Blackberries… it’s Sonker time! Sonker SummersHeavy Metal Object
July 4th Fireworks…
Summer Mountain Time… Wespentsome restful, quality time this summer at our friend’s cabin on Buck Mountain. I’m always amazed by the beauty that surrounds me there. I hope you enjoy these captures as much as we did.
Dimensions of A SunsetDefinitely 💕Movement of Fog at Sunset Fog Hugging the Ridge Where the Clouds Meet the Blue Ridge Sunset RaysSleepy Sunday Sunrise Hues of the Blue Ridge Glory of SunsetSerenity of the Blue RidgeGolden Hour in ProgressMeet Jethro… our newest family member Just A Peachy Little Summer!
Spring officially began on March 20th. It’s absolutely amazing to see the changes that surround our world each and everyday during the Spring season. If you blink, you could absolutely miss it! From the tiny, first buds, early flowers, greening of grass, to trees achieving full leaf maturity once again. The Earth is vibrant with the colors of Spring.
The days become longer in this season, bringing us closer to nature as we spend more time outdoors. The entire Spring process is a gradual progression of warming our outer environment all the while, warming and feeding our souls for renewal. Spring… a time of rebirth in nature and also for me. I hope you will enjoy the evolution of Spring of 2025 through my camera lens.
Floral Spring, A Peak Inside The Garden
From the earliest of blooms to the heartiest flowers beginning to emerge as the warmth begins to encompass the outdoors…
First Blooms of Spring, Forsythia Field of Color…TulipsDancing with the SunSnap!!! The colors of SpringYellow Beauty Iris Glory Double White Amaryllis in BloomPeonies are almost ready…In Full Glory…Peony Strawberries 🍓 growing Lettuce!I’m personally experimenting with growing Microgreens for the first time!!! These gems offer a BIG nutritional boost!!!When ready to harvest… Cut, rinse, and dry … store in refrigerator after drying thoroughlyCabbage growing along the Greenway
Landscape Capturesof Spring
As the early days of Spring begins… the leaves were noticeably absent, but as Spring temperatures rise, the changes begin to slowly emerge. How many slight variations can you find from beginning to end of this sequence???
Hues of Blue Cloud Action Crisp Sunrise Light Frost… the greening of grass begins Monday Sunrise… it’s the simple things Contrail Sunrise Breaking ThroughDark Clouds, April Rain Quiet April Morning Sunrise Sunset Hues and a different viewFoggy Morning in the GardenGolden SunriseThat Touch of Pink Evening Sunset
Spring Mountain Time…
A Spring trip back to Buck Mountain to watch these beautiful mountains grow into Spring, and oh my goodness… I’m in awe…
Mountain Laurel in Bloom
Cicadas…
The arrival of Cicadas in our neighborhood this year is a first. My initial, first memories of these bugs dates back to my childhood playing in my grandparents front yard listening to the consistent, noisy music of these creatures in Elkin, oblivious to their impact on the surrounding landscape.
Now, in present day, each time I go out my back door, those childhood memories come flooding back to the forefront, of those past, playful days, and now, in the process of adding new memories of cicadas in my garden.
I completed a of research about how cicadas life cycle to learn more about the impact of these creatures. My poor little dog, Cookie is so intent on hunting these critters each trip outside that it has become almost impossible for her to accomplish her “natural business”because she gets so distracted by them.
Finding Bigfoot
The legend is strong, about the wandering Sasquatch, in our foothills… Can you believe that he has been spotted at our local grocery store this Spring??? I simply couldn’t resist taking a moment to grab a quick peek for myself and a couple of pics.
Happy Springtime everyone!!! Hope it has been an adventure filled season for you as well!
The Winter season officially began December 21st and will end on March 20th. From cold wintry temperatures, a few snowy days, and even icy morning conditions the winter weather has been season to remember in 2025. Thanks for the beautiful photographic memories Winter!
FYI: Two photos below have active links to more recent blog posts!!!! (New Orleans and Cloud Dancing) Please check those out as well 😊
Winter Solstice Sunrise New Beginnings… January 1, 2025 Golden Sunrise Icy morning Waiting on the SnowIt begins… A new coat of white… snowy afternoon Snowy Morning Snow Day Snowy Branches Crunchy! A Walk into the Woods Snow on the Mountains Sunset at Buck Mountain after the Snow Snow Capped Golden Hour Looking into the Valley January Wolf MoonWinter BeautyHello Sunshine Colorful Sunrise Pink Sky Winter Sunrise Glory Drama in the Sky Rainbow SunriseWinter Days are Lazy Days, JOY All wrapped up, COOKIEWinter BloomsMorning CoffeeNew OrleansCloud DancingButterfly SkyMarch MasterpieceMagical March Sunrise Lavender Sky A Little Floral Volunteer… a prelude to SpringReady to emerge In full bloom Hello Buttercup!New Growth
Artistic expression of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina across from the convention center where the Spring Orgill Hardware Show was hosted.
New Orleans… A culturally rich city filled with fantastic food! What more could you ask for in a host city for a hardware show??? We first experienced New Orleans in August 2015, at our first hardware show, and 10 years later, we have returned again for another visit to this wonderful city.
We have found that getting to show early helps us navigate the day (less crowded) and we can explore the city later in the afternoon .Early morning at Orgill Hardware Show… the exhibition floor is full of people getting ready to take it all in…Fun with friends! Eric and Chelsea explored the Orgill Hardware Show with us the first day of the show. Always lots to see!!! Million square feet of space in 2 days… We go in with a definite plan now at each show, finding those vendors we need to reach out to, make orders, then we can “shop” for new products that our customers will enjoy. Richard is checking out a new key machine at the show. We ordered a key machine and it will arrive sometime in April. Our Orgill Representative, Steve Foster is set to retire later this year. He has helped us navigate our first show as newbies, and we were thankful to have his expertise in year 10. We will miss him tremendously.
The 2025 Orgill hardware show marked our third trip to New Orleans. We accomplished a lot on our to do list! Now it was time to explore the city a bit. A few constants remain from each trip… beignets at Cafe DuMonde, Mardi Gras celebrations in February, and rich, vibrant culture exemplified everywhere you go, along with the AMAZING food. Sharing my unique photo journey from our recent travels, enjoy y’all!
Hot beignets, just can’t be beat!Always a sweet treat with music on the street Beignets are everywhere!
Mardi Gras celebrations were in full swing in late February. Homes were decorated with colorful Mardi Gras trees, colorful lights, and outdoor fence areas were lined with decorations to mark the celebrations.
Beads and a Bird Outdoor Fences were adorned with beads , a visual reminder of Mardi Gras in progress A Colorful Walk
A Somber Reminder along Bourbon Street…
This makeshift memorial on the corner of Bourbon Street was moved just two days after we arrived to a permanent museum location.
Security along the Mardi Gras parade path was noticeably tighter…
Heavy equipment trucks moving into place prior to the arrival of one of the Mardi Gras parades.
Mardi Gras Parade Highlights…
I loved all the colors!!!
We walked to many places during our trip, even though the cold weather and wind was significant… I quickly noticed that city sidewalks were a treasure trove of design… “judging a block by its cover”, literally by the manhole covers and drain covers. Here are just a few captures from New Orleans…
Can’t you just see the history in these old Church Doors??? Blockbuster And Wall Inspired Art
Good food always can be found in New Orleans, some places never disappoint us when we are there in New Orleans and we always make plans to return.
A new wonderful addition to our New Orleans lineup this year! We will go back! Turtle soup to start… Blackened fish with crabmeat sauce Chocolate flourless cakeThe line was out the door to wait for lunch!!! Menu boasts Sandwiches and unique salad options… best French fries in town!!! Sorry, no picture, I ate them all!!! 😂Our order reminder.., just too cute! Grand Isle… Our favorite place in New Orleans!!!! Never disappoints!!!Pan roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and mushrooms Cheesecake for dessert Wood fired gulf fish with creamy grits
Thanks for the memories!! Hope to see you again New Orleans!
FYI: New product arrivals from our shopping days at the New Orleans Hardware show are beginning to arrive! Stop by and shop today at Wilkes County Hardware.
Living the "hardwarelife", join us in our journey of hardware store ownership
The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 